Niamh Smyth
Question:422. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education if the case of children (details supplied) will be reviewed; the status of bus tickets for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24838/20]
View answerTuesday, 22 September 2020
Questions (422)
Written answers
School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport and who applied and paid by the deadline have been accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
The School Transport Scheme Family Portal was temporarily closed for applications and payments on the 20th August 2020. This temporary closure was necessary to complete the work required to issue tickets to families who at that time remained due to be allocated a ticket for school transport services for the 2020/2021 school year.
The School Transport Scheme Family Portal re-opened on the 7th September. However, parents/guardians making an application/payment at this time for the 2020/2021 school year are reminded that the closing date for payments for the 2020/21 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020.
Bus Éireann has confirmed that two of the applications for the children referred to are for transport on the Post-Primary Scheme while the third is for transport on the Primary Scheme. Bus Eireann has further confirmed that medical card details for the children referred to by the Deputy were received on the 9th September, 2020 for the 2020/2021 school year and, as such, were late.
Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2020/2021 school year. Bus Éireann has confirmed that a ticket has issued for child on the primary service as there was capacity on this service.
Payments/medical card details for Post-Primary seats completed or made after 4th August 2020 will be only considered when 50% capacity, required by new Covid19 public health guidelines, is achieved on each route.